Men and Women Surf Differently

Posted on December 30, 2005

A Pew Internet & American Life Project study has found differences in the way men and women use the Internet. The male demographic still holds the lead in Internet use except in the under 30 demographic where a higher percentage of women use the Internet than men. But the ways men and women use the Internet differs. Here are some of the differences the Pew study found:

Men are slightly more intense internet users than women. Men log on more often, spend more time online, and are more likely to be broadband users.
More than men, women are enthusiastic online communicators, and they use email in a more robust way. Women are more likely than men to use email to write to friends and family about a variety of topics: sharing news and worries, planning events, forwarding jokes and funny stories. Women are more likely to feel satisfied with the role email plays in their lives, especially when it comes to nurturing their relationships. And women include a wider range of topics and activities in their personal emails. Men use email more than women to communicate with various kinds of organizations.
More online men than women perform online transactions. Men and women are equally likely to use the internet to buy products and take part in online banking, but men are more likely to use the internet to pay bills, participate in auctions, trade stocks and bonds, and pay for digital content.
Men are more likely than women to use the internet as a destination for recreation. Men are more likely to: gather material for their hobbies, read online for pleasure, take informal classes, participate in sports fantasy leagues, download music and videos, remix files, and listen to radio.
Women are more likely to see the vast array of online information as a "glut" and to penetrate deeper into areas where they have the greatest interest, including health and religion. Women tend to treat information gathering online as a more textured and interactive process - one that includes gathering and exchanging information through support groups and personal email exchanges.

A full PDF file of the report is also available. ClickZ also has an article about the study that takes a close look at the demographic trends.